52 Mantels: Modern Watercolor Artwork {by Love Grows Wild}

February 15, 2013

Modern Watercolor Art by Love Grows Wild

Hi new friends! My name is Liz from Love Grows Wild, and I am SO excited to be here at 52 Mantels today!

Today I have a super fun project to share with you from my kid's playroom that is currently getting a makeover! My boys love to do crafts with me, and I wanted them to create some art to hang in their new playroom. I gave them some watercolor paint and paper and let them go to town creating their masterpieces!

I was going to simply frame their sweet watercolor paintings, but I started playing around with smaller pieces of the paintings and came up with this modern take on kid's watercolor art.

I started by cutting the kid's paintings into strips. You'll want to play around with scrap paper first because the size strips you cut will determine how your herringbone pattern looks. I cut mine into 3 inch by 1 inch strips.

Next I took a piece of white poster board and my frame mat and traced the inside edge of the mat onto the poster board with a pencil. It doesn't matter whether you use a mat or not, you just need to have an outline of the visible area of the poster board when placed inside the frame.

*I recommend cutting out your outlined poster board now, since your outline will be covered with the paper strips later! I waited, and I think it may have been easier to cut it out before adding the paper!

Then I started laying the paper strips onto the poster board in a herringbone pattern. I didn't use any scientific formula for laying down the pattern, just eyeballed it. But you do want to make sure to completely cover the outlined area of the poster board, so no white will be showing when it is framed.

Don't know what a herringbone pattern is? This will explain!

Once I had a row laid out the way I liked it, I used a thin layer of Mod Podge to glue it onto the poster board. {TIP} - Stagger the colors of your paper strips! You want them to look random and not see of blocks of color.

Once I had my poster board all filled up with paper strips, I cut out the square outline I drew earlier, and hung our new artwork in a white frame with a white mat.

I love the bright pop of color on our wall, and the boys are SO proud that they helped create it!

I hung the watercolor art right above the Baking Sheet Magnet Boards I created for the boys, which perfectly fills the small space between the window and door.

Modern Watercolor Art with Baking Sheet Magnet Boards

So what do you think? I hope you've enjoyed this project, because I've had so much fun sharing it with you!! I hope you'll come visit me at Love Grows Wild to see more creative projects like this!

I want to say a BIG thank you to Emily for letting me take over 52 Mantels for the day! Isn't she the greatest? {HUGS}

Let me tell you a little about myself:

I am a wife and mother of two rough and tough little boys, and when I'm not chasing my little super heroes, I'm sharing my creative passion on my blog, Love Grows Wild. I write about my crafts, DIY projects, home decor, recipes, organization tips, and more! I've always got a new project up my sleeve, and I love making new friends, so stop by and say hi anytime! Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Here are some of my favorite recent projects I've shared on Love Grows Wild:

Washer Monogram Canvas Art